We all make small talk. It’s hard not to, especially during the holidays. With all of the events, work parties, and family gatherings, I expect we all find ourselves having five-minute conversations with people we socialize with only a couple times a year. It’s just the nature of things.

Even though small, the talk can still be sincere. I found myself having a frequent conversation this past month, usually in response to some version of “how’s it going?” My answer was usually, “Good! It’s been the busiest year I’ve ever had, but the best one too.”

That’s the honest truth. Through my work at the Foundation, I’ve had some tremendous opportunities in 2018 that have taken me far and wide. Chantel and I had plenty of personal highlights, ranging from buying a new all-electric car (we turned in a leased Nissan Leaf and bought a new Chevy Bolt) to getting my younger brother married this past weekend (congrats Patrick and Stephanie!). On top of it all, we adopted our daughter Cecilia in April and got accustomed to parenting two young children. Our year was crazy, but we wouldn’t trade a thing.

All the same, I’m beginning to feel the tension that I’m sure so many of us feel when time becomes a precious commodity. Saving time for the things we love to do requires us to say no to many things we want to do (and many we don’t want to do). And saying no is hard.